What does MGM stand for?

[Albertan mom]

Tonight the kids, DH and I were talking about different Disney acronyms and my hubby asked what MGM stood for.
They couldnt believe it when I said I didn't know!!

Even on the Dis acronyms page, it lists MGM as standing for MGM Studios..... (well, we all know that!)

But what does the M, the G, and the M stand for??

 

[bradk]

well, it's not disney.. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. MGM is an old time movie studio (they still exist obviously, but barely). they're famous for their lion roaring in their opening sequence. mocked by MTM in Mary Tyler Moore's tv series. I can still hear Bob Newhart saying 'meow' in my head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTM_Enterprises

 

[miss missy]

Our Disney bus driver told us it stood for:

MICKEY'S GOT MONEY


and boy does he ever!! That lucky Minnie!!

 

[clownboy007]

Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer was arguably the best of the big movie studios during the "golden age" of Hollywood. Their logo was "Leo The Lion" who appeared at the opening of every MGM picture and appears in the Disney-MGM Studios logo. Boasting "More Stars Than Their Are In Heaven" the studio was famous for it's lavish musicals and classic dramas and had a stable of stars that included Wallace Beery, Judy Garland, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Greta Garbo, The Barrymores, The Marx Brothers, Robert Taylor, Mickey Rooney, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and many more. Some of the studio's notable films include "The Wizard of Oz". "Singin' In The Rain", "The Good Earth", "Goodbye Mr. Chips", "Ben-Hur", "Meet Me In St. Louis", "Easter Parade", "Tarzan The Ape Man" and the Andy Hardy series. In the 1970's the studio was sold to hotel magnate Kirk Kerkorian who sold most of the assets of the studio, including it's back lot and historic collection of props and costumes, but continued to use the MGM name on his hotels and casinos. That company is now known as MGM-Mirage and operates numerous casino resorts in Las Vegas and around the country. The MGM film library was sold to Ted Turner who later used it to help create a cable movie channel "Turner Classic Movies" which provides great opportunities to see some great films as well as more obscure and historically important titles from the MGM catalog. The "MGM" name and logo was licensed to Disney in the late 80's for use in the studio park but other than that, the scenes re-created in the Great Movie Ride ("Wizard of Oz", "Singin' In The Rain" and "Tarzan") and the reference to "Min and Bill" at Min and Bill's Dockside Diner, the studio doesn't have a big presence in the park.

 

[luvdiz2]

Wow clownboy - colour me impressed! Thanks for the information, it was very interesting.

 

[seashoreCM]

Disney has had to meet various requirements to use the MGM name. There have been brief times when "MGM" was removed from literature while renegotiations with MGM were taking place.

One story goes that MGM's opening scene with Leo was originally to let the audience know that this was not a silent movie!

(Much like NBC's peacock to signify color.)

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

>>> meow!

More OT trivia: MTM also did White Shadow, a TV series about a basketball team. The "meow" was replaced with the sound of a bouncing basketball.

 

[W2BNeverland]

My nephew likes to roar alomg with the lion. He is sooo cute.

 

[under_the_sea]

When I was little, I thought it stood for Mickey's Geat Magic, lol.

 

[mattsdragon]

More recently, MGM has been partnered with United Artists. The James Bond series is MGM/UA. It is hardly a dead studio.

Go rent "Strange Brew". The MacKenzie brothers feed Leo a few beers eh. Take off you hosers. Tom and Jerry cartoons in the 60's and 70's had Leo turn into Tom, who then meowed fiercly.

As to the MTM TV studio. Hill Street Blues was also MTM, and the kitten had a policeman's hat on. I can't remember which show it was, but one of them had the kitten smoking a pipe.

I would like to see more MGM inclusion in the Studios. Perhaps a meet and greet with Tom and Jerry. The mouse danced with Gene Kelley, he's a big enough star in my book. (then again, so did Stewie Griffin).

 

[bradk]

Disney has had to meet various requirements to use the MGM name. There have been brief times when "MGM" was removed from literature while renegotiations with MGM were taking place.

sort-of.

this is the source of that undying rumor that Disney changed the name of the park. The reason being is that there are (well, were) multiple contracts with MGM. One particular contract covers the usage of MGM content in the park for example. Another is regarding use of its name. Essentially Disney can't use MGM's name in PROMOTIONAL material. They can't give potential guests the impression that they're visiting an MGM park. So the most notable source of the rumor is the vacation planning DVD which refers to Disney Studios.

As to the MTM TV studio. Hill Street Blues was also MTM, and the kitten had a policeman's hat on. I can't remember which show it was, but one of them had the kitten smoking a pipe.

Remington Steele I believe (a la sherlock holmes - speaking of 007). The link I provided above to MTM lists all the spoofs anyway.

incidentally, Wizard of Oz was originally an MGM production, but they don't own it, nor did they have any rights to it when GMR was built if I'm not mistaken. i believe it's completely owned by Warner Brothers now.

and of course MGM isn't dead. I didn't say it was. if it was dead, who would produce all those wonderful Queen Latifah comedies? It's just not the studio it once was. according to boxofficemojo.com, it struggles very hard to try to reach 2% of the marketshare year after year.

 

[nooneshome]

Ars gratia artis is used as a slogan by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appears in the oval around the roaring head of Leo the Lion in their motion picture logo. It means "Art for art's sake"

Did you know that Orlando translated is "Another Long Line"??

​

 

[arbeywolf]

I've heard it jokingly called Mickey's Great Mall due to the number of stores there

 

[honey11dog]

Disney doesn't refer to the park as Disney's MGM anymore. Although many of us including myself can't seem to change from calling it that. Disney only refers to the park as Disney Studios now.

 

[bradk]

Disney doesn't refer to the park as Disney's MGM anymore. Although many of us including myself can't seem to change from calling it that. Disney only refers to the park as Disney Studios now.

again, that's only in promotional materials. on the DME video, in the parks, etc., it all says Disney-MGM Studios.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/parkLanding?id=MGMLandingPage

 

[MiniGirl]

I would like to see more MGM inclusion in the Studios. Perhaps a meet and greet with Tom and Jerry. The mouse danced with Gene Kelley, he's a big enough star in my book. (then again, so did Stewie Griffin).

Interestingly enough, Stanley Dolen (I think that's his last name.) went to Disney first because they wanted Kelly to dance with Mickey, but Disney wouldn't agree to it.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I've heard the rumor of Disney/Pixar studios name change.

 

[bradk]

that's been officially squashed. the rumor was last fed by the opening of toy story mania in 2008 (that disney would change the name of the park in conjunction with its opening). not exactly the case. mickey ave is being rumored to be rethemed to be pixar place, but disney has insisted there will be no overall name change for the park.

 

[Albertan mom]

that's been officially squashed. the rumor was last fed by the opening of toy story mania in 2008 (that disney would change the name of the park in conjunction with its opening). not exactly the case. mickey ave is being rumored to be rethemed to be pixar place, but disney has insisted there will be no overall name change for the park.

What is Toy Story Mania?

 

[bradk]

http://www.mgmstudios.org/midway.html

 

[clownboy007]

Interestingly enough, Stanley Dolen (I think that's his last name.) went to Disney first because they wanted Kelly to dance with Mickey, but Disney wouldn't agree to it.

Stanley Donen directed some of MGM's best musicals in the 40's and 50's (including "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "It's Always Fair Weather" and "Singin' In The Rain" which he co-directed with Gene Kelly) and served as a collaborator with Kelly on "Anchors Aweigh" in 1945 in which Kelly danced with Jerry Mouse.

In an interview in the early 90's, Donen told how he and Kelly went to see Walt Disney to explain their idea of having the animated Mickey Mouse dance on screen with the live Gene Kelly in an upcoming film...a novel technique that Disney had actually pioneered and had great success with later. Anyway, after listening to the pitch, Donen says "Walt leaned over the desk and asked 'Are you telling me that you want Mickey Mouse to appear in an MGM picture?' We said, 'Yes', and he replied 'Mickey Mouse will NEVER be in an MGM picture!' So that's how Jerry Mouse got the job."

Right before I left Disney in 1993, there was actually a meet-and-greet with Tom and Jerry (along with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) in the New York Street area. I'm not sure how long that lasted. And, in the park's early years, there was a daily "Star of the Day" who would often be one of the stars from MGM's "golden era" which is where I got to meet Howard Keel, Maureen O'Sullivan and Van Johnson. In fact, I was the tour guide at the Great Movie Ride who got to introduce Miss O'Sullivan to her animatronic self in the Tarzan scene. It was a fun time to be working there!